Archive

Current and past selections of exemplary sites--browse month by month through every year. When sites are no longer available, they are not listed as Digital Dozen winners.

July 2001

Take some time this summer and enjoy a mix of fun and informative sites. Hand-picked from our Digital Dozen archives, these 12 sites are sure to please even the most skeptical. Want to go to Hawaii but don't have the funds? Take a virtual tour of the Waikiki Aquarium-- it's almost as good as being there. For stargazers, there is Heavens Above, a site which tells you what celestial events to expect any night of the week. July's Digital Dozen is your virtual vacation ticket!

1. Sunspots and the solar cycle
   Grade(s): 7 - 12 ENC#: 012055
   Synopsis: Seeing spots? Then check out this site for up-to-date monitoring of sunspots and the solar cycle, with tutorials, material for educators, and interactive activities.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
2. Carolina coastal science
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Grade(s): 4 - 12 ENC#: 013414
   Synopsis: Take your students on a virtual field trip to the Carolina coast. At this site, they can view pictures, watch video clips, and engage in environmental science activities.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
3. Clever games for clever people
   Grade(s): K - 12 ENC#: 002132
   Synopsis: Impress your friends and neighbors with how clever you are: try your hand at these mathematical games and you're sure to be a big hit. And you might just learn a thing or two about strategy and transfinite numbers while you're at it!
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
4. Heavens-above
   Grade(s): 6 - Post-Sec. ENC#: 018884
   Synopsis: Calling all stargazers! There's a wealth of information here on satellites, the space stations, and the Iridium Flares. Get astronomical information that's relevant to your specific locality by entering your town and country.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
5. Let's count: a fun, colorful set of counting activities
   Grade(s): Pre-K - 1 ENC#: 017083
   Synopsis: Take your youngest students to this site for counting practice in both English and Spanish. The site uses symbols and names of numbers in several simple activities where students answer questions such as How many, What comes next, and Which is more? Sets of objects including cars and robots are used for counting and simple addition.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
6. Math cats magic chalkboard
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Grade(s): 1 - 8 ENC#: 019003
   Synopsis: Math games, explorations, quizzes, interactive projects, facts, and other fun (and educational) stuff abound at this site for elementary kids. Some of the games and projects require advanced browser versions and special plug-ins.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
7. National Severe Storms Laboratory
   Grade(s): K - 12 ENC#: 014322
   Synopsis: The movie "Twister" made storm chasing seem glamorous and adventurous. At this site, future storm chasers can find basic and advanced information on different types of severe weather and the technologies used to study them.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
8. The last straw: plants and water stress
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Grade(s): 3 - 8 ENC#: 018751
   Synopsis: What would we do without pizza or blue jeans? When you stop to think, plants contribute a great deal to our life. Find out how they work at this site full of animated movies about plant growth, water use, and photosynthesis. In the Virtual Lab, you can select a variety of environmental conditions and test to see how plants grow under each condition.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
9. The maths file game show
   Grade(s): 5 - 8 ENC#: 018786
   Synopsis: Even if you don't know who Hypatia is, you're sure to enjoy trying your hand at these animated math games. Divided into four sections--Number, Data Handling, Algebra, and Shape, Space, and Measure--a games wheel offers a variety of interactive math games for students of different ability levels. There are also printable worksheets and information for teachers about the mathematics behind each game.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
10. Waikiki Aquarium virtual tour
    Grade(s): 3 - 12 ENC#: 018951
    Synopsis: If your summer vacation plans don't include a trip to Hawaii, don't feel bad--you can still take a virtual tour of one of the islands' attractions. Learn about Hawaiian marine life and the tropical West and South Pacific as you stroll through the five online galleries of the Waikiki Aquarium exhibits.
    (For more details, see ENC Record.)